URC Round 15 - teams and predictions
SATURDAY SHOWDOWN: The number of South African-born and bred players featuring in European-based teams in South Africa on Saturday, will give some of the matches a very different flavour.
At Loftus Versfeld, there is Marcel Coetzee, who played 57 times for Ulster and will captain the Pretoria-based team on Saturday.
The Ulster starting XV features World Cup-winning Springbok No.8 Duane Vermeulen, who still captained the Bulls last year.
Just 50-odd kilometres down the N1 it gets even tastier.
Edinburgh, fresh from dismantling the Sharks in Durban last week to become the first European team to win a URC game on South African soil, is littered with South Africans.
Headlining the expat collection is Scotland-capped utility back Jaco van der Walt, who played 60-odd games for the Lions before joining Edinburgh in 2017.
Now throw in players like Henry Immelman (Cheetahs), Willem Nel (Cheetahs), Pierre Schoeman (Bulls), Boan Venter Cheetahs) and Luan de Bruin (Cheetahs) and you get an idea of the contest the Lions are facing.
Even Stormers captain Steven Kitshoff might get to face off against a former schoolmate - if Tom Botha comes off the bench for Ospreys in Cape Town.
Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White, while acknowledging the class and qualities of Vermeulen, played down the media hype surrounding head-to-head battles between the two high-profile Springboks - Coetzee and Vermeulen.
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"It is not about individuals," White said, adding: "It is about how the team plays.
"That is our challenge. We can't be worried too much about Duane [Vermeulen] or someone playing well.
"We need to play well collectively [as a team]. That is something we work on every week, to get the players to work together as a unit."
The Bulls boss said Ulster is like an international team and plays a Test-match type of game.
"They don't often get punished, because they are well organised."
He pointed to their results against Irish teams - losing 3-31 to Leinster in Dublin, losing 7-34 to Connacht in Galway and beating Munster 29-24 in Pretoria - as evidence of the enormity of the task awaiting them at Loftus on Saturday.
"Ulster is second on the standings for a reason," White said, adding: "They play a style that suits the team they have.
"It will be a nice game to be involved and see how we compare against a team that has done really well this season."
Having lost to the Stormers in controversial circumstances last week - a decision questioned by URC refereeing boss Tappe Henning - a win would also be hugely valuable in Ulster's quest to secure home advantage in the play-offs.
Ulster is presently sandwiched between Leinster and Munster at the top of the standings.
Coach Dan McFarland doesn't believe Pretoria's altitude [1350 metres above sea level] will offer a major obstacle.
"I don’t see it as a difficulty," McFarland told a midweek media briefing.
"We've played at altitude a couple of times.
"Although the guys feel tired at the end of a game, relative to the opposition I have never looked at us and thought that we are more tired than them.
"We have an excellent athletic performance programme. We are in Pretoria for the whole week.
"You can't say at that time you will be acclimatised to playing at altitude but we will know what to expect. Will it be tough? Yes, 100 percent. Will we be equipped to tough it out? Absolutely."
* Just across the Jukskei it will get just as spicy, as Edinburgh looks to complete the first URC double on South African soil - after last week's first win in Durban.
Having trained in Durban earlier this week, it was still very humid. However, the conditions will differ significantly at 1750 metres above sea level in Johannesburg.
Edinburgh coach Mike Blair said they will monitor the conditions and make adjustments as needed.
"We have a way we want to play, but - as you saw last week against the Sharks - you have to be able to change your game to suit the conditions," Blair said.
He admitted he has had a "little bit of a chat" with Van der Walt, but most of their analysis - as a team and individuals - are done on video.
"We are aware of the threats and some things they might potentially do."
With four of their Scottish internationals back in the tight forwards - captain Grant Gilchrist, props Willem Nel and Pierre Schoeman, along with hooker Stuart McInally - the set pieces are an area they will be able to put some pressure on the Lions.
"We have some experience, talent and size there as well," Blair said, adding that set pieces are an important aspect of the game.
Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen said his team's is focussed on continuing their growth, but also know the importance of a fourth successive win.
"We have learned some valuable lessons about what is working for us and what is not working for us," Van Rooyen said.
"When you win, it is a reward for the hard work put in during the build-up."
Van Rooyen admitted the bar will be raised considerably this week, with Edinburgh - currently fifth on the table - one of the toughest challenges to face.
"They play a very physical, exciting brand of rugby," the Lions mentor said, adding: "You could also see against the Sharks last week, their unstructured attack is brilliant.
"Their defence is just as lethal as their attack.
"We expect a high-paced game, with lots of unstructured attack."
* Down in Cape Town Ospreys will look to get their campaign back on track against the in-form Stormers -0 the latter chasing a fifth successive win at home.
Ospreys coach Toby Booth described last week's 30-point hammering (15-45) at the hands of the Lions as a "slap in the face".
He admitted the "influx of international players" raised the energy levels in the team - Dewi Lake, Gareth Thomas, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Jac Morgan, Gareth Anscombe, Owen Watkin and Alex Cuthbert returning to the starting line-up.
"We need to set ourselves up for a strong end to the season and see where that takes us," Booth said about his team - currently sitting just outside the play-off zone, six points behind the eight-placed Sharks.
Consistency is certainly an issue, with just two wins in their last five matches - against Zebre and Edinburgh.
He said the Stormers pose the same threat as the Lions did last week, describing the Ellis Park loss as a "dress rehearsal".
"This game will be decided by who deals with the kicking game the best," Booth said.
"If you kick loosely to their counter attack, there's a world of pain coming back the other way.
"They will also kick the ball a lot and we have to deal with the threat, to ensure we turn that pressure around and impose ourselves on them."
Stormers coach John Dobson played down the margin of the Ospreys' loss last week, saying that he was impressed how long they hung into the fight at Ellis Park, despite the absence of the many internationals that returned this week.
"The way they were beaten was in the open and fast stuff and there could be less of that this week," Dobson said.
"We are expecting a similar game to last week [a narrow win over Ulster], we just need to be better at handling it this week.
"We know if we play like we should, we'' be able to handle them."
Captain Steven Kitshoff said that his team will look to keep building more momentum each week and have focussed a lot on their set-piece work.
“It wasn’t a pretty performance from us, but the amount of character and willingness to win, the way the guys pitched up and the end there shows a willingness to win.
“This will hopefully give us some confidence and momentum, we just need to keep building on it and keep doing the work during the week so we can execute better on the weekends,” he said.
* Leinster could land one of the biggest blows yet in the race to top the overall table if they can win at Munster on Saturday.
In the first meeting between the sides for more than 12 months, Leinster could surge 13 points clear of one of their nearest rivals should they prevail at Thomond Park.
Munster – currently third behind Leinster and Ulster – have an opportunity to reduce the gap to three on the leaders.
Leinster has won 28 of the 44 meetings between these provinces but it was Munster who triumphed when they last met, winning 27-3 at the RDS in the Rainbow Cup in April.
Leinster had won the PRO14 final 16-6 against Munster a month earlier at the same venue.
* All the Saturday teams and predictions are below!
Saturday, April 2
Benetton v Connacht
(Stadio Monigo, Treviso - Kick-off: 13.00; 12.00 Ireland & UK; 11.00 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Benetton by five points
Teams
Benetton: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Edoardo Padovani, 13 Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage (captain), 8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Sebastian Negri, 6 Michele Lamaro, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Irné Herbst, 3 Nahuel Tetaz, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Tomas Baravalle, 17 Ivan Nemer, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Niccolò Cannone, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Leonardo Marin, 23 Joaquin Riera.
Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 John Porch, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Sammy Arnold, 11 Mack Hansen, 10 Jack Carty (captain), 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Conor Oliver, 6 Cian Prendergast, 5 Leva Fifita, 4 Niall Murray, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Matthew Burke.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 17 Greg McGrath, 18 Tietie Tuimauga, 19 Gavin Thornbury, 20 Abraham Papali’i, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Conor Fitzgerald, 23 Sean Masterson.
Referee: Pierre Brouset (France)
Assistant referees: Federico Vedovelli (Italy), Filipo Russo (Italy)
TMO: Eric Gauzin (France)
Bulls v Ulster
(Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria - Kick-off: 14.00; 13.00 Ireland & UK; 12.00 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Bulls by seven points
Teams
Bulls: 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Cornal Hendricks, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Madosh Tambwe, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: 16 Joe van Zyl, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Reinhardt Ludwig, 20 Arno Botha, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 Lionel Mapoe.
Ulster: 15 Mike Lowry, 14 Ben Moxham, 13 James Hume, 12 Luke Marshall, 11 Ethan McIlroy, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Jordi Murphy, 5 Iain Henderson (captain), 4 Kieran Treadwell, 3 Marty Moore, 2 Brad Roberts, 1 Andrew Warwick.
Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Mick Kearney, 20 Matty Rea, 21 John Cooney, 22 Marcus Rea, 23 Stewart Moore.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa), Griffon Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Lions v Edinburgh
(Ellis Park, Johannesburg - Kick-off: 16.05; 15.05 Ireland & UK; 14.05 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Edinburgh by nine points
Teams
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Manuel Rass, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Francke Horn, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel (captain), 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Pieter Botha, 1 Jean-Pierre Smith.
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Ruan Venter, 20 Sibusiso Sangweni, 21 Andre Warner, 22 Henco van Wyk, 23 Tiaan van Wyk.
Edinburgh: 15 Henry Immelman, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 James Lang, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Blair Kinghorn, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Ben Muncaster, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Magnus Bradbury, 5 Grant Gilchrist (captain), 4 Pierce Phillips, 3 Willem Nel, 2 Stuart McInally, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Dave Cherry, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Luan de Bruin, 19 Glen Young, 20 Connor Boyle, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 Matt Currie.
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Morné Ferreira (South Africa) , Paul Mente (South Africa)
TMO: Ben Crouse (South Africa)
Stormers v Ospreys
(Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town - Kick-off: 18.15; 17.15 Ireland & UK; 16.15 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Stormers by 15 points
Teams
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Junior Pokomela, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Chad Solomon, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Deon Fourie, 21 Ben-Jason Dixon, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Sergeal Petersen.
Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Michael Collins, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Rhys Webb (captain), 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Dewi Lake, 1 Gareth Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Tom Botha, 19 Rhys Davies, 20 Ethan Roots, 21 Harri Deaves, 22 Reuben Morgan Williams, 23 Max Nagy.
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Dylen November (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Scarlets v Cardiff
(Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli - Kick-off: 17.15 Ireland & UK; 16.15 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Scarlets by eight points
Teams
Scarlets: 15 Johnny McNicholl, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Johnny Williams, 12 Scott Williams (captain), 11 Ryan Conbeer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Tomas Lezana, 6 Blade Thomson, 5 Jac Price, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Shaun Evans, 1 Steff Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Morgan Jones, 20 Carwyn Tuipulotu, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Dan Jones, 23 Jonathan Davies.
Cardiff: 15 Hallam Amos, 14 Jason Harries, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 James Ratti, 7 Ellis Jenkins (captain), 6 James Botham, 5 Matthew Screech, 4 Seb Davies, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Corey Domachowski.
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Rhys Carré, 18 Dmitri Arhip, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Gwilym Bradley, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Matthew Morgan.
Referee: Tual Trainini (France, league debut)
Assistant referees: Dewi Phillps (WRU), Elliot Mayor (WRU)
TMO: Eric Briquete-Campin (France)
Munster v Leinster
(Thomond Park, Limerick - Kick-off: 19.00 Ireland & UK; 18.00 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Leinster by 12 points
Teams
Munster: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Chris Farrell, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Shane Daly, 10 Joey Carbery, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 Chris Cloete, 6 Peter O’Mahony (captain), 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 Jeremy Loughman.
Replacements: 16 Diarmuid Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 John Ryan, 19 Thomas Ahern, 20 Alex Kendellen, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ben Healy, 23 Keith Earls.
Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jimmy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose (captain), 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Caelan Doris, 5 Jack Dunne, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 2 James Tracy, 1 Ed Byrne.
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Josh Murphy, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Ciarán Frawley, 23 Max Deegan.
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant referees: Chris Busby (Ireland), Peter Martin (Ireland)
TMO: Craig Maxwell Keys (England)
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* Additional reporting by @URCOfficial